Successful ecommerce site owners know that happy online shoppers are shoppers who are confident that the information that they transmit is secure, and that the sites they purchase from have developed clear and easy-to-understand terms and conditions; designed to safeguard the safety and interests of both storeowners and consumers.

If you’re an ecommerce store owner, you owe it to yourself and your customers to take the time to spell out your TOS (terms of service) clearly and in writing on your site. If you’re not sure how to get started, here are some important things to include and keep in mind:

Liabilities And Warranties

Take a look at some of the TOS of other ecommerce sites. They likely include a statement to the affect that the owners of the site make no express or implied warranties, guaranties, statements or representations about the site.

If you scroll down a little further, you’ll also likely see what is known as a liability disclaimer, which basically says that the site owner can’t be held responsible for any type of liability or personal injury that occurs as a result of consumers accessing the site, or because of any information contained within the site itself.

Site Information And General Use

Your terms of service need to be easy to understand, and should inform your customers about what to expect (and what not to expect) from your site. This includes the most up-to-date information possible about your services, products, and your business as a whole.

It is also important to include a statement to the affect that you, either as an individual or acting as a representative of a company, legally own the website and the domain associated with it, and have the legal authority to use the site for the purposes outlined in your TOS.

Need more tips and information? Visit the official FTC (Federal Trade Commission) website for information on their policies and guidelines. http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus28-advertising-and-marketing-internet-rules-road

Aura Talbott is the SEO Writer and Lead Blogger at Miva Merchant, an ecommerce software and hosting company. You can read more of her blog posts and learn more about Miva Merchant at http://www.mivamerchant.com/blog.